TAI 170 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Lana Turner, Literal And Figurative Language, Synecdoche

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Examples of common figurative language in poetry.
Allusion: A reference to some object (the Venus de Milo statue), some person (Lana
Turner), or some place (New York City). Generally, Allusions are references to
history, mythology and artistic works.
Metaphor: When two unlike elements are compared directly. (“the snow is a gray blanket”),
(“she is the sun in my life”).
Simile: Comparing two essentially unlike elements using the words like or as.
(“the snow is like a gray blanket”), (“you are beautiful as a rainbow”).
Personification: When something non-human is compared to something human.
(“the mountains brood”), (“pots and pans bickering in the kitchen”),
(“the wicked stones”).
Synecdoche: A significant part of something is used to help you imagine the whole thing. (“Get
behind the wheel”) which means more than it literally says.
(“His heart remembers it”), (“red sails in the sunset”) you will imagine the whole
sailboat, but the red sails are the most important part of the vision.
Paradox: A statement that appears to be absurd, untrue or to contradict itself. (“We are
born astride the grave”), (“King Lear had to be blind in order to see”).
Oxymoron: Fewer words than a paradox. Usually takes two opposite terms and pairs them up
in one, two or three word phrases. (Thunderous silence”), (fortunate tragedy),
(“feather of lead).
Hyperbole: Intentional exaggeration, often used for humor or to convey the quality of a
speaker’s emotions. (I’m so hungry I could eat a horse”), (I’ve got a million
things to do).
Repetition: The act of repeating, a word, phrase or idea in a text. A frequently used technique
to emphasize the subject matter or emotional intensity in the text.
Ambiguity: Multiple possible meanings. This allows the speaker and audience to choose
among several interpretations. When ambiguity exists in a text, the performer will
want to present it in such a way as to raise the possibility of various
interpretations without forcing the viewer/listener to choose among them.
Alliteration: A literary device that emphasizes on repetition of a particular consonant in the
first syllables in a series of words. (Paula planted the petunias in the pot), (The
silent sermons of the snakes”).
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